Resolute

2011 is nearly all gone and 2012 is upon us. Besides the parties and dui checkpoints that will shortly ensue, the champagne and the auld lang syne, New Years' resolutions will be made by most. Among these will be one that will pertain to health or physical fitness. Now forgive my cynicism but this is mostly bullshit, forgotten by the time the hangover has worn off. I cannot tell you the number of people that I have seen over the years come into the gym on January first only to sign up and never be seen again, but the number is staggering. My personal belief is that a resolution has become little more than a tradition that is made and never carried out. The silver lining in all of this? It is very simple to stand out among the crowd that neglects to be truly resolute with there plans and goals. Nothing will make the masses more uncomfortable than an individual that decides to make some changes and then does exactly that for themselves personally. The rest of the good news is that it doesn't take much effort really. Goals can be achieved and resolutions upheld by simply doing something, anything really, to gain just a little ground toward that which you set out to achieve. I have also seen this happen many times and the results can be staggering. So whether you want to lose 5 pounds, break a four minute mile, or just be in the best ass kicking shape you have ever been in on wheels, make a decision to achieve your aim and then take the actions to show that you are serious. You may literally astonish yourself and the rest of us in the process!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 8 push ups with rotation
4x 8 overhead presses
4x 8 inverted rows
4x 8 jump squats
2x 20 quadruped
2x 25 neg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Peace On Earth

Maybe it is the holidays or maybe the coming of another year but whatever it is I have have been caught up in a bit of reminiscence. I have heard it said that while we may not be our past, our past is definitely a part of who we are. On occasion I believe that we are all taken back into our pasts one way or another, on purpose or not. For me right now I seem to be caught up by a weather pattern. Today has been a grand, soft day. It has been cold and rainy; the kind of rain that isn't driving but still manages to leave you cold and soaked through and through. While I admittedly hate the cold, days like this remind me of some of my favorite times playing soccer. I remember leaving the locker room, adrenaline pumping and a crisp, fresh jersey on my back. I remember a cold, stadium coming to life with the anticipation of the first whistle and the bloodshed that would follow in the next ninety minutes or so. I remember the rain running down my face and into my eyes. By the time warm-ups were over sweat was mixed in to the liquid concoction and my cleats were beginning to give way in there water resistance. If there is a better way to draw up the mood for an ugly battle to ensue I have not found it. I remember hearing the crowd begin to chant and seeing the rain piss it's way through the spotlights and onto the pitch. While all of this is still such a vivid imagery in my mind, it pales in comparison to my favorite moment of all. In all of this I remember living for the last moment before the whistle when I would kneel down to make the last minute adjustments to my boots and breathe in the smell of the grass. There was something about the smell of the field, fresh cut grass mixed with mud that would all be torn to shreds for the duration of the game, that somehow made everything seem right in the world. The cold rain had a certain way of making this more alive than most times, other than summer of course. Honestly, I don't remember most of the games I played but I cannot forget that smell. It made the whole thing seem easy the way it was when I was a kid just having a kick with my friends. For all of the training, all of the practice, all of the pain and injury; the grass made it worth it. It was the only thing about the game that didn't have some sort of bias and for the few minutes before we would tear it to shreds that piece of earth seemed the only possible peace on earth. What is the point of this? There isn't one. I just like that story...

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 narrow grip push ups
2x 20 lateral raises
2x 20 high rows or chin ups (either or will work)
2x 20 rockstar jumps
4x 60 sec planks
2x 25 straight leg crunches
2x 25 frog kicks
5 min cool down
Stretch

Holding You're Ground ?

The most difficult thing in the world to overcome is fear. This is, of course, only my opinion but I believe that I am correct (as always). One of the biggest mistakes I see made all of the time, and for that matter make myself, is letting fear run things in an effort not to lose the ground that has already been gained. It is so easy to get caught in the trap of playing not to lose rather than playing to win and for most of us the fears of losing in some way, shape, or form can seem very real. As an athlete, this was one of the most difficult concepts for me to wrap my head around and this is an example of why. Let's say that there are two minutes left on the game clock and we are on the team that is marginally ahead. Tensions run high, the stress of competition that was already there elevates for both sides, and victory is in sight if we can just hang on. This is about the time where stress takes over and clouds judgement on even the most basic of maneuverings. Some people are able to rise to the challenge while others fall off, but what makes the difference? I had a coach once tell me that the problem that most players have in a game is that they believe that there is a clock. I disagreed with him vehemently, pointing out the obvious clock on the sideline that was keeping time, and asked him if he'd always been this crazy or if he had just recently lost the plot. Thank God the coach was patient enough not to kill me before he explained that to be a great player, in sport or in life, you have to ignore the clock all together and just try to give everything you have for that moment, damning the consequences. He told me that sports always mimic life and there is no exact clock on how much time we have in life, only what we do with the moment that we are living. "This concept will always make the difference, but you can't just try to hold your ground. If you do that, you let your side, as well as yourself, down. Don't by into the commentators hype about clock management. There is a reason that they are not called players. Just do all you can in the moment that you are living and be ready to keep doing that for as many moments as you have." I have found that when you look at things from my old coaches perspective there isn't much time left for fear of any kind to creep in and things are a lot more fun as well. Just a few thoughts to work over as you work out...

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 wide grip push ups
2x 20 squat to overhead press
2x 20 narrow grip inverted rows
2x 20 meters of lunges
4x 45 sec. planks
2x 25 neg crunches
2x 25 side swishies (each side)
5 min. cool down
Stretch

Kick Start

Lets keep this simple. Today is all about getting your heart rate through the roof and keeping it there. If you feel like you are about to pass out, lie down. Otherwise, have fun! Flectere si neqoeo superos, achaeronta movebo!

Enjoy

J

5 min warm up
2x 20 squat jumps
2x 20 burpee push ups
2x 20 box jumps
100 jump ropes
2x 20 step up to overhead presses
2x 20 back flys
4x 100 meter sprints
4x 30 sec planks
5 min cool down
Stretch

The catch: get it all done with no rest. Here is some music to work with

Kick Start My Heart- Motley Crue
Chop Suey- System Of A Down
Complicated- Face To Face
Bro Hymn- Pennywise
Metro- The Vincent Black Shadow
Astro Zombies- Misfits
I Don't Want To Grow Up- The Ramones
Dancing With Myself- Billy Idol
Bad Reputation- Joan Jett
Jude Law And A Semester Abroad- Brand New
It's Complicated- A Day To Remember
Untouched- The Veronicas
Prayer- Disturbed
This Town Your Grave- Innerpartysystem
Gimme Sympathy- Metric
Bonus Mosh Part II- Taking Back Sunday

The Lull

Over the top, all of the time is probably the best way that I can describe how I would rather conduct my life. Roller Derby is about one month into the off season, as am I with my training schedule, and I am growing impatient. It is not that things are going poorly, it's quite the opposite really, but this doesn't stop me from having plenty of pent up aggression that I am ready to unleash for no purpose in particular. I guess what I am getting at is that I can deal with crazy travel schedules, days that are booked to the hilt, and general chaos coming around every corner. I thrive in that type of environment, especially when the rest of the world is a little too uncomfortable with it. What I struggle with is the concept of boredom and that is what I am finding more days than not right now. With the holidays upon us most people you see out are relatively happy. Good food, time away from work, and a thousand other reasons have the public in a better than usual mood. I guess I understand on a cerebral level but I cannot connect with the truth in the sentiment. I would rather be chasing parked cars than pissing time away with no aim in mind. Please forgive my cynicism as I unravel a bit here but I was not really built for peace. I much prefer the fights in life but right now things are pretty peaceful and I am uncomfortable with that. Many of you can probably identify with my state of mind right now and I offer you my condolences. A lull in the action can be a tough thing to weather but we will make it through, we will persevere. Soon enough Derby will be back and weight will need to be lost again. Motivation will be a desirable quality again and killer instincts will again be sharpened and readied to strike. Until then, for those of us that are bored to death with "normal", we can take some ground in improving physically and hopefully snap some necks in the process for those people who are watching. Here we go...

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 back flys
2x 20 lateral raises
2x 20 squat jumps for distance
2x 20 push ups with rotation
2x 20 frog kicks
4x 45 sec planks
2x 25 ball crunches
2x 25 neg crunches
5 min warm up
Strtech

Like You Mean It

I was in the middle of my workout yesterday and it hit me. Literally! Like alot of other workouts that I have done, my mind had wandered into the beat of the music and away from paying attention to the weight or fatigue my body was experiencing. I let my form waiver and in the process managed to put a dumbbell into the side of my head. aside from the slight discomfort that this gave me, it also made me realize that I was half-assing my workout. For me, the gym was always an escape from the pressures of life, that is until I began earning my livelihood in one. Now it is a constant barrage of questions and conversations and stresses. My own workouts have become harder to complete because they are incessantly interrupted. Don't get me wrong, for the most part I have a pretty sweet gig. But every now and then it is all too easy to lose focus on what I am doing. Today I was a victim of the same thing that gives me an occupation: not lifting like you mean it. My workouts should not be my hobby, they should be what earns me the sweat equity to live life at it's fullest. I prefer to call it training because there is always something we should be putting time in the gym toward, whether it be roller derby, weekend fun, or making it through a parking lot and up seven flight of stairs before we are late to the meeting that will give us a promotion(I'm just saying). To put a point on it, when you hit the gym, hit it like you mean it and don't let it hit back!

Enjoy

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 burpee push ups
2x 20 squat to overhead press
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 25 meters of lunges
4x 45 sec planks
2x 20 single leg floor bridges(each leg)
2x 25 jackknifes
5 min cooldown
Stretch

Not So Sweet Emotion

Crowds cheer, taunt, and cat call. The other team sneers and berates by whatever means necessary. your own teammates scream and encourage the best they know how. This is the scenario that we all find ourselves in on game day. Hell, occasionally this is what practice can feel like. it all boils down to psychological warfare and like warfare of any kind it has it's price. Psyche, by definition, is the term that describes the human soul or spirit, essentially the emotional epicenter of ourselves as a human being. While typically feeling is a good thing, in a game-time situation it can be much more of an enemy than a friend because emotions can cloud everything from judgment to the ability to execute even the most basic and ingrained of skills. I can remember as a kid playing soccer and having well meaning coaches tell me to imagine the ball being the face of someone that I hated and kick it as hard as I could. I remember doing just that and missing the ball entirely, landing flat on my back with the force of my leg picking me right up off of my feet. It wasn't until I got around some good coaches that I was taught that fundamentals such as kicking a ball and staying on your feet were best executed with no emotion at all. You see this demonstrated with good runners, especially sprinters. The expression on their face remains relaxed freeing up tension in the facial muscles and reserving more energy for making their feet move as fast as they can. The same applies to roller derby, both skating and hitting. If you want your moves to look ice cold, that is the way that you should feel inside (on the outside you should feel hot and sweaty). The ability to control your emotions in a way that takes them out of the equation will always lend itself the best performance possible. Save the emotion for celebrating the win at the after party because there is no need for stoic reserve there. After all it is a party ...

Enjoy!

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 push up to rows
2x 20 step up to overhead presses
2x 20 side lunges
2x 20 squat jumps
4x 30 sec planks
2x 25 side swishies
2x 25 bicycle crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

It's December

I can't believe that we are already into December! This past yer has felt like it has flown by in some aspects and never ended in others but either way, it is time to write the final chapter on 2011 and get ready for 2012. I understand that this is also the middle of a crazy holiday season but there is no reason for that to stop your progress toward being at your peak performance and best look ever. now is as good of a time as any to kick your motivation into overdrive and fucking tear it off the proverbial wall. From an athletic point of view, I would concentrate on maintaining or losing weight and increasing flexibility during this month and that is just the way that the workouts will be tailored. The reasoning for this is that less weight on your joints means that you will have a body that is less vulnerable to injury and increased flexibility will better prepare you for kicking girls asses once the season kicks back into full swing. These things take a little time so preparing for them now is a much more ideal approach than waiting til two weeks before you have to make training camp. So without further adieu, let's get down to business!

Enjoy,

J

5 min warm up
Stretch
2x 20 push ups with rotation
2x 20 step- up to overhead press
2x 20 back flys
2x 20 straight leg dead lifts
4x 30 sec planks
2x 25 neg crunches
2x 25 side swishies
5 min cooldown
Stretch